A Dark Heart's Will
by Nauran
Summary: ThreatShipping. In the mood for one of the best-written pokémon battle stories on the site? Read on and witness one of the strongest self-made trainers take on the Mistress of Darkness in this epic clash. Powers collide and hearts tested, this two-part story was inspired by ambiguous sources and amazing talent.
1. Part One

**I'm gonna show you how I do pokémon battles. ****I'm also going to introduce a pairing that has _never_ been done before.**

**I wrote this because no one else would. And it was fun.**

* * *

Fanfare played through the speakers, alarming the entire stadium that it was time.

"Ladies and gentlemen..." the commentator's voice rang out. "This contest is the fourth battle in this season's... Elite... Four... Challenge!" The crowd's rapturous cheers filled the arena. "This bout will determine the challenger's contendership to compete for... the Johto League Pokémon Championship!"

The crowd's cheers became ecstatic as soon as the lights dimmed down – filled by a sea of camera flashes and recording devices. And as if it wasn't loud enough, as soon as the spotlights turned on and the signature music started playing, the arena erupted with anticipation.

"Introducing first..." On the stadium's field, one of the competitor's panels opened up. "The fourth and final member of Johto's Elite Four..." The lights centred on the ascending figure, standing tall with long silver hair swaying behind their back. "The Mysterious Enchantress and Johto's only Dark-type Master... Karen!"

The announcer's voice echoed on as she flicked her stylish hair and struck her signature pose – a confident stomp forward in her golden heels with her hands on her voluptuous hips. Her gorgeous smile lit up the audience, setting them off in a frenzy of camera flashes and whistles. There was nothing Karen loved more than post-battle limelight. The sounds of her specially-chosen theme music, the chants of '_Karen! Karen!_' and the thrilling atmosphere – she loved it all.

But what she _didn't_ love was coming here and winning.

The name of the game was simple. Win a pokémon league tournament, beat each of the region's Elite Four members and, finally, defeat the champion to enshrine your name in history. Simple enough, but the difficulty was unlike any other sporting competition in the world. The thing that irked Karen was the fact that, being the final member of the Elite Four, she was last in line before the challenger could face the champion. By the time the seasonal contender made it to the dark-type master, they would be burnt out, lamely pitted against her team in a losing effort, despite the one week rest intervals. Mentally and physically, Karen and her team would outright demolish their opponents. It had been like this for several years, and only three out of roughly twenty challengers had ever beaten her during her time as an E4 member.

However, this year, her hopes for a challenge had been built higher than ever.

"And now, introducing the challenger..." The announcer continued his duties. The crowd's chords had been changed, with many cheering as others began their derision.

'_This is it._'

Karen's anticipation began to swell.

"Hailing from Veilstone City of the Sinnoh region..."

'_Here he comes._'

Her first actual teeth-showing grin formed as a head of purple hair rose into view.

"The Johto League Silver Conference Champion... Paul!"

Standing opposite Karen on the field, cross-armed and steadfast, was Paul, winner of the right to the Elite Four Challenge series. His unwavering stoic figure held his true personality under wraps – a thriving pokémon trainer built solely on his own training ethics and core instincts. To come this far, discerning a single source of his successes would be impossible. The raw competitive passion he was born with, his shared experiences with his pokémon, the supportive people he's come to know – they were all reasons for his present position, and he had no intention of squandering any of these.

A hovering podium landed in between the competitors, letting the referee step off and into the centre. Both trainers walked towards the middle – Paul with his even steps, and Karen, who had a slight skip in her strides as she continued smiling. When finally confronting each other, Karen appeared to have just a few inches of height over her challenger.

"Trainers. This will be a full six-on-six battle with no time limit," the official stated. "Substitutions allowed, and only one available time-out for each trainer. The battle is over once one trainer's entire team is unable to battle. Please shake hands and prepare yourselves in your respective boxes," he finished, waiting for a response from the participants.

"A moment please, ref," Karen suddenly requested. The official was hesitant at first, but agreed and hopped on his small stand, flying off to await commencement. Karen turned back to her adversary, widening her grin. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say your eyes were hiding a smile," she said slyly, leaning to meet him face-to-face.

He turned away, but not out of impoliteness, seeing as his eyes traced the entire arena. He took everything in before he finally turned back.

He held out a hand.

"May the better trainer win."

Her smile came back.

She took his hand.

"You _do_ remember our deal, right?"

They dropped their hands before he nodded.

With that, he turned and walked toward his end of the field.

"If I win, you're _mine_!" she sang.

She didn't think he had been affected by her shout, until she saw him stop in his box and slump his shoulders. She giggled at that before twirling and striding back to her own square.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, the purple-haired trainer sighed, wearing a discomfited grimace.

"Are both participants ready?" the official called out, floating in close.

Karen sang her affirmative, while Paul gave a solemn hand-signal and nod.

"Then select your first pokémon, and let the battle begin!"

With that, the crowd roared and Karen unclipped her first pokéball from her belt.

"Bring down the lights, Spiritomb!"

With a bright flash, a purple mass of energy appeared, floating atop a cracked stone. It gave out an ominous cry, which would have shivered any who had never experienced its presence before.

Paul didn't so much as flinch. He pulled out a pokéball from his jacket pocket, set on his first choice.

"Now, standby for battle!" With his own call, Paul sent out his pokémon.

As the aura dimmed down, the red, metallic figure of his pokémon was revealed. Two claws clanked together before it took a fighting stance, growling its name in readiness.

The first battle – Karen's spiritomb versus Paul's scizor. It began.

"Will-O-Wisp!"

At its master's command, Spiritomb charged a blue flame and fired with speed and precision unknown of common ghost-types.

"Safeguard, then Swords Dance." Paul's orders came out in a composed voice.

As soon as it heard, Scizor raised its claws and encased itself in a sphere of green energy. Just after it disappeared, Spiritomb's Will-O-Wisp made contact with its chest, but dispersed harmlessly into the air. Scizor then twirled its glowing claws methodically, focusing and heightening its physical attack power.

Karen could not contain a short growl.

It struck her quickly because she knew her pokémon's move-set so well. As it turns out, Spiritomb now lacked any effective attacks _and_ was unable to afflict any status ailments against the bug/steel-type.

But she _did_ have one move that types had no defensive influence on.

"Fine then. Spiritomb! Use Curse!"

The people that knew of this attack gasped, Paul showed mild shock as well. But without hesitation, Spiritomb called upon its menacing powers that have defined its kind for centuries. Without warning, a distorted murkiness in the form of a stake appeared and stabbed down into Spiritomb's body. The image startled and frightened some members of the audience, while others were thrilled to see one of the most infamous moves in pokémon battling history.

Spiritomb moaned weakly as it lowered to the ground.

Without warning, Scizor's body shuddered wildly. Paul scowled. His Scizor fell to one knee, clutching at its chest in agony. A moment later, the pain subsided, but Paul knew it would return at regular intervals as long as Scizor continued battling. He looked across the battlefield, seeing Karen grin spitefully.

She may appear beautiful, but she's not the master of the sinister dark-type for nothing.

Karen picked out a pokéball from her belt, which Paul immediately noticed with a glare.

"Return, Spirito-"

"Pursuit!"

Just as the red beam covered Spiritomb's form, a dark, blank duplicate of Scizor appeared next to it. As if defining its own laws of speed, the true Scizor appeared before Spiritomb and swung its dark claws down with incredible force, dealing a critical hit. It shattered the energy link between the pokémon and its pokéball, and created a dust cloud from the crash.

Everything happened so fast, Karen had yet to even process what had happened. She stood with her pokéball in-hand, staring, astonished. Paul watched on guardedly.

The dust cleared and, receiving a massive round of applause, the first battle had been decided.

Spiritomb lay unconscious at Scizor's feet.

Taking a flying stride, Scizor stood back on its trainer's side. It clutched at its chest again, feeling a strain on its energy from the Curse.

"Good work, Scizor. Return," Paul thanked, giving his pokémon a well-deserved breather.

And just like that, the first fall of the battle had been dealt with but a single physical attack. To add to the win, Paul effectively alleviated the effect of Curse from his pokémon by switching it out, but only the few knowledgeable would realise.

Karen felt ashamed. Although her aims were grand and foreboding as her style usually dictates, she had lost a useful cornerstone of her team too easily. She swore to herself that she would not make the same mistake again.

"Master Karen, please choose your next pokémon," the referee hovered in, reminding the dark-type master of the challenger's handicap. In a situation such as this, the elite four member was obliged to bring out her pokémon before the challenger.

Karen looked across the battleground. To her disdain, her competitor had already chosen a pokéball to be thrown. She picked out her own with a restrained glare.

"Tear them down!" Karen roared.

Just as Karen threw her next pokémon out, Paul quickly followed, not uttering a word.

Both flashes died down and revealed the competitors' second pokémon.

On Karen's side, standing intimidatingly tall with large purple pincers, her drapion gave a mighty cry.

Opposite the poison/dark-type, at half its height, a blue and black Anubis-esque creature stood, its deep red eyes focused on the opponent before it.

With Karen down one team member, the second battle was set to begin. Drapion against Lucario.

"Earthquake!"

Karen's pokémon swiftly acted, leaning back and crashing its arms against the ground, sending a mild shockwave throughout the stadium, but with an intense amount of force expertly focused on Lucario.

"Jump, and fire off some Aura Spheres!"

With its nimble leg strength, Lucario leapt into the air with ease, and threw several blue balls of energy like baseballs. While they may have been smaller than a more effective shot, none missed, forcing Drapion to stand its ground painfully. Dust had built up from the small blasts, temporarily covering Drapion from anyone's sight. Lucario landed and took a defensive stance.

All was quiet on the battlefield, as Paul and his pokémon awaited a move. The dust started to let a bit of purple show, at which point someone broke the silence.

"Fire Fang!"

Paul growled as soon as he heard it.

After a blaze ignited within the dirt cloud, Drapion raced out, dispersing the dust. What really caught everyone off-guard was the speed at which the large poison/dark-type had moved. Its pointed legs dug into the ground with every stamp, leaving a shallow trail, but it showed remarkable quickness for a pokémon its size.

Lucario stepped back and leapt away, but Drapion was quick in pursuit.

"Chase it down!"

"Keep a distance! Fire an Aura Sphere when you're clear!"

The chase was on. Lucario kept its distance and changed direction every few steps, but Drapion kept its speed and tracked its opponent's movements, enflaming its jaws whenever it thought it was close enough. The race went as far as the wall that divided the audience from the battleground. Lucario turned before it could hit the wall, dragging its feet to a stop, to face its pursuer. Lucario was at a split-second loss for countering.

Drapion's Fire Fang closed in.

"Detect!"

With a spark in its eye and its head's sensors raised, Lucario leant back, dodging the attack by its nose.

"Sky Uppercut!"

Following the successful dodge, Lucario countered with a glowing uppercut, sending Drapion's head skyward.

"Now move it!" Paul ordered a retreat.

"Spin a Brick Break!"

Just as Lucario hunched to jump away, Drapion recovered and, with its species' uncanny ability to fully turn its head, swung a mighty blow which caught Lucario's body enough to turn its leap into an awkward twirl. Lucario hit the ground and rolled onto its feet, stiffly standing. Pain was evident on its face, while Drapion coughed its soreness away.

"Back on the field, now!"

Lucario drew back onto its owner's side of the outlined battlefield, while Drapion watched warily but did not follow. Instead, it walked over to its own master's side, showing little to no fatigue. Lucario and its trainer stared at it with calculating gazes until it stopped.

"Take a rest," Paul said, returning Lucario to its pokéball. This garnered some heat from the more 'zealous' members of the crowd, criticizing Paul's choice of returning two pokémon in a row. Paul paid no attention and kept focus.

"Overconfident, weren't we?"

At that comment from his opponent, Paul had to groan in embarrassment. He was perhaps too confident in his Aura Pokémon's abilities, despite the type advantage it should have had against any dark-type. But the poisonous Drapion could handle itself against fighting-type attacks. He promised himself, after deliberating on his next choice, that he would not make the same mistake again.

Ironic. But anyway...

"Gliscor, standby for battle!"

And with that, out came the Fang Scorp Pokémon, equipped with its own set of pincers and a stinger in parallel to its enemy. Drapion growled lowly, while Gliscor growled with its signature grin. Playing the offensive type advantage, Paul made the first move.

"Earthquake."

Extending its tail and balancing on it for a moment, Gliscor swung its arms down and sent its attack through the ground. The move was successful, sending a tremor up through Drapion's body for a super-effective hit.

"Sludge Bomb," Karen called, just as calmly.

Drapion hurled a thick purple blob from its mouth, hitting Gliscor and sending it back. Gliscor became enraged. Paul sensed his pokémon's anger and called an attack before it could boil over.

"Alright then. End it with Guillotine!"

With a murmur of surprise from the audience in the background, Gliscor sprung up into the air and directed itself. With its expert gliding ability, it knew it could hit its target no matter what. Its claw shined a bright white and it started its descent. Gaining speed and losing altitude, Gliscor focused its aim for the last second.

When it was just nearing its target...

"Protect!"

The entire attack was cut off by a wall of green energy surrounding Drapion. Gliscor bounced off, shakily recovering its body before diving back in without a call from its trainer. It went in with what appeared to be a Brick Break, but was again countered by Drapion with a Brick Break of its own. The two struggled for supremacy.

"Drapion, Ice Fang!"

Holding on to Gliscor's claw, Drapion brought it in and, with icy jaws, clenched Gliscor's shoulder in a freezing bite. The ground/flying-type cried out in tremendous pain before being thrown several yards back toward Paul. Its body was misting and its energy had depleted greatly.

"Get up, Gliscor! Come on!" Paul pleaded for his team member to rise.

Unfortunately, Gliscor's arm buckled and it fell, defeated.

Another roar from the crowd, this time in jubilation for Karen's first win. Evening up the battle, both trainers were down one pokémon. Paul returned Gliscor.

Things were heated, but far from over.

* * *

A lone stand held its place among the trainer village that occupied an area close to the Indigo Plateau. It wasn't as luxurious as the others being visited by the tourists in this semi-festive time, but it held value to its hungry customers nonetheless.

Sitting at the counter behind the kiosk's drapes, one young man sat, mulling over his thoughts with a bowl of noodles.

The booth owner busied himself in the back, tending to his ingredients and cleaning.

The purple-haired customer sat silently, half-playing, half-eating his food. It had been quite a while since he was served, yet he was still far from finished.

This person was actually the reason this entire event was taking place.

It's not often you get an Elite Four contender picking his challenge time several months after the actual league tournament. But that was his freedom in being tournament champion, and he felt he was ready.

Getting through the master psychic-type trainer Will, the master poison-type trainer Koga and the master fighting-type trainer Bruno, he had earned his next trial – dark-type master Karen.

What pokémon he would use, how he would use them, when he would use them – all these thoughts were rushing through his head at a million miles a sec-

"Noodles with fried shrimp, please."

Speak of the she-devil.

The proprietor of the small noodle stall turned and smiled at his unexpected pleasantry.

"Gettin' the entire event in here, am I? Lucky me," he joked, walking over and preparing the woman's order with skilled hands.

As the sounds of chopping and sizzling went on, the served customer couldn't help but trail his eyes to the person that sat next to him. He sat still, giving her a dismissive glare.

Karen caught it, smiled and went back to watching the chef cook.

Lacking the enthusiasm to start a conversation, Paul solemnly went back to his food.

Neither spoke to the other.

* * *

"Hariyama, stand by for battle!"

Paul's fourth pokémon was revealed, dropping to the ground and shaking it with its mass.

"Belly Drum!"

Without missing a beat, the fighting-type's first move was hastily called. Hariyama beat its stomach with its massive hands, sending loud thumps throughout the arena.

Karen realised the danger.

"Earthquake!"

"Bullet Punch!"

Just as Drapion was swinging its arms down to the floor, a huge, metallic fist smashed against its head. Drapion was knocked backward and its body dragged through the dirt. When it came to a stop, its body went limp, and its breath was shallow.

The people went off, Karen sighed dismally and Paul sighed in relief.

Drapion was unable to battle. After going toe-to-toe with a lucario and defeating a gliscor with little effort, the purple powerhouse was finally put down.

"Thank you, Drapion." Karen returned her pokémon with praise.

And now, the master had to face a pokémon most lethal to dark-types. Lucario may have been of the same type, but this pokémon's attacks were known to be much more oriented with its singular type.

The fighting-type was no joke. Its physical prowess among the pokémon species has garnered a great following with trainers and athletes all over the world. Attack, defense, speed – fighting-types could excel in one attribute and easily cover the next. They were ideal for battle.

But type disadvantages have never been something Karen couldn't handle.

"Honchkrow, get ready to fly!"

The brightness died down, and out soared a dark-blue pokémon, twirling in the air before evening out.

Paul creased an eyebrow. He was very familiar with this species, owning one himself. Because of his knowledge of their abilities and his Hariyama's strengths against its weaknesses, the advantage would be his in any normal case, but this wasn't any normal match.

"Fly up high and use Calm Mind."

Honchkrow gained altitude, closed its eyes and focused a pink aura around its body. Paul knew this could spell trouble for him soon.

"Aim up and Stone Edge."

Taking a stance, the Arm Thrust pokémon prepared several stones orbiting its body, and shot them up toward its opponent. Honchkrow was lucky enough for its Calm Mind to take effect, letting it dodge just in time.

"Now dive in with an Aerial Ace."

Splitting air in its wake, Honchkrow dove down, now aiming for a super-effective hit. Hariyama prepared itself.

Paul frowned, but then let a grin show.

"Stand your ground!"

Hariyama tensed its body, readying itself to receive the blow.

Karen also tensed.

'_Found out so easily?_' she thought, but her contemplating was cut short by Honchkrow's timing. Going back to her original plan, she made her move.

"Now blast in with Psychic!"

"Bullet Punch!"

...

Gong!

...

Everything happened so swiftly, the crowd could barely make out the collision. But to the trainers, they saw everything in slow-motion.

Finally being level with its target, Hariyama pounced forward and pushed out a shining fist toward the dark/flying-type. Just before the speedy move could hit, a blast of invisible energy broke forth from Honchkrow's body. The collision was very unexpected, as it sent out a metallic clang and an intangible shockwave.

Honchkrow crashed back onto the ground.

Hariyama stood in the same position as it had punched, trembling and moving the dirt beneath its feet as it vibrated uncontrollably.

Before long, Hariyama's arm twitched and it completely collapsed face-down.

Honchkrow struggled on its feet, before giving out and falling to its side.

Both pokémon were deemed unable to continue.

Excited, surprised cheers and murmurs filled the stands.

Karen stood still, before letting an uneasy laugh escape her lips. She returned her pokémon with a sad smile.

"Good work." Paul gave his pokémon his thanks and then returned it.

With this turn of events, Karen was down three pokémon without returning any mid-battle, while Paul was down two, having another two previously revealed still in his arsenal.

With a lead now in his hands, Paul kept victory well in mind, determined to best one of the best.

* * *

The light splashes in the lake were as smooth as the wind in the air. The trees rustled quietly – no urban noise could be heard. And the moon and the stars were the only lights for the area.

"Ha!"

Only one unnatural noise could be heard.

"Hra!"

Technically, two. And those were the sounds of last-minute practice.

"Ya!"

A hariyama and a lucario stood at the water's edge, thrusting their hands and feet out in the open air. With every swift strike, the water would part for a few metres – easier for the larger pokémon's hands, while the smaller pokémon alternated between limbs.

Their owner, a short distance away with his feet dipped in the water, lay back with his eyes closed.

The next day would be the eventful day of his battle, so his pokémon insisted themselves that they partake in one more session to practice their strikes before their time on the battlefield comes.

Lucario's ear twitched – it sensed something approaching.

Its attention was diverted, which Hariyama noticed.

Their trainer took note of the lack of his pokémon's sounds.

Just as he opened his eyes, he noticed a silver-haired woman standing a few feet away from him, a sweet smile adorning her face.

...

He closed his eyes again, making his pokémon realise there was nothing to be concerned with and to continue on.

"...Ahem."

Paul opened one eye.

Karen wasn't smiling. She was actually looking a bit scornful.

"What?"

"...Would you care to converse?"

"No."

Her eyebrow twitched.

"You sure?"

"If you've got something to say, then say it," Paul insisted.

_'Just_ a_s serious as I've heard..._'

Without meeting him one-on-one, Karen had been given information on what Paul was like from various sources, including interviewers and people that have spent more than a single battle with him.

Her perception of him, she liked. A lot.

It may've been her innate attraction to the bad-boy image, but Paul seemed to click with her like the beloved dark-type of hers. She had heard of his way with battling, his individuality and his limited relations. He wasn't too closed but he wasn't too open either.

To her, he seemed... ideal.

Lucario awkwardly faltered mid-strike. It could sense the woman's aura, which now centred on... affectionate yearning. It turned back, but after hesitating for a bit, it gave in and went off to rest. Going on with such a distraction was just impossible.

Karen stood behind him, her arms knotted behind her back.

Lacking the nerve to start a conversation, she solemnly looked out to the reflection of the night sky in the lake.

Neither spoke to the other.

* * *

"Go!"

Karen decided it was time to call forth one of her largest, possibly even her most powerful pokémon.

With a heavy thump, the large green beast made its presence known with a deafening roar. The crowd was shaken by the new arrival – even Paul could not hold back a stutter in his breath.

Statistically speaking, Tyranitar has been the strongest pokémon called out so far. Its species' power has been revered world-wide among trainers, and generally feared by all others. They can match any Gyarados in ferociousness and several known legendary pokémon in sheer strength.

Put simply, whatever stood against a Tyranitar had better be able to take a hit, and deal an even bigger one.

"Now, standby... Aggron!"

Not to be outdone, Paul sent out a pokémon just as beastly in stature and just as infamous for its destructive might. It roared as loudly as its opponent and growled aggressively.

Both stared each other down. The Armor Pokémon versus the Iron Armor Pokémon. This battle would be... heavy.

"Focus Blast!" Both trainers called at the same time.

In mirror images of each other, Tyranitar and Aggron clapped their claws together, charged a blue sphere of energy and pushed it out. Unfortunately, neither hit its desired target, as both attacks met half-way with an explosion.

The dust cleared, but neither pokémon had attempted to move. They continued glaring.

"Flash Cannon!"

Paul's pokémon opened its maw and fired a silver beam – a super-effective move, if successful.

"Break it with a Headbutt!"

Karen's pokémon pulled back and threw its head forward, colliding with the beam. It dispersed on impact and the rock/dark-type had not taken any noticeable amount of damage from the attack.

Tyranitar grinned, infuriating Aggron.

"Guard up," Paul ordered, which translated to the steel/rock pokémon stiffening its body.

Karen saw this as an open challenge, but would not take it blindly.

"Another Focus Blast."

Tyranitar began charging another energy ball.

"Autotomize."

Karen, for the first time so far, had heard a move that she was not familiar with.

Aggron's entire body shined a brilliant white, before it was shrugged off and 'shattered' from its body like a glassy shell.

Tyranitar fired.

In a single second, Aggron moved from its fixed position to several yards away, without so much as a stomp.

The entire crowd gasped, including the referee and Karen.

The dust cleared from the missed Focus Blast, and Paul could be seen grinning.

"Now Screech!"

Bellowing a harsh shriek, Aggron lowered Tyranitar's defenses immensely. The green beast recovered and tried to process what it was now up against.

"Tyranitar, Earthquake!"

"Protect."

The quake was nullified by Aggron's shield. Tyranitar growled, with Aggron the one now grinning.

"Now use Iron Head!" Paul shouted with force.

With its greatly increased speed, Aggron dashed forward with its head in an aura of white. Tyranitar blocked it with its arms, but still felt the super-effectiveness.

"Follow through with Metal Claw!"

Aggron wasted no time in continuing its attack. With both its claws glistening, it struck in quick succession, sending its opponent reeling back in pain. A barrage like that would certainly deal some heavy damage, but Tyranitar stood strong in the face of its swift enemy.

"Earthquake again!"

As quickly as Tyranitar wanted to lift its foot and slam it down, Aggron saw it moving far too slowly.

"Iron Head."

Shifting the dirt under its feet ever so slightly, Aggron leapt forward in an unbelievable bound, rendering its enemy's attack useless. Just as its feet touched the ground, its shining head connected with its opponent's in a crushing blow that shook Tyranitar's entire body.

Moments later, Tyranitar fell back. Aggron stood before it, roaring in victory.

The audience could not contain their excitement at what they had witnessed. Seeing something so large moving so fast was truly astounding.

Karen could not believe what she was doing – returning one of her oldest and most powerful pokémon after dealing _no damage at all_. She never would have thought something like this would happen.

...But she marvelled in it.

An uncharacteristic grin formed on Karen's face, which bothered Paul somewhat. Before she could break out into laughter, she threw her fifth pokémon into the fray.

With a deep, eerie howl, the horned dog mythically linked to the Grim Reaper sent chills up peoples' spines. Paul saw this and braced himself. This pokémon would be a serious threat if not dealt with quickly.

"Focus Blast!"

Aggron obeyed and fired a quick blast, which sailed through the air and hit empty ground.

Paul growled. Even with his Aggron's boosted speed, it may not be enough to match the natural nimbleness of an instinctive hunter.

"Take it down with Heat Wave."

With the added measure of a swift leap forward, the houndoom shot a red beam of fiery breath, encircled in a flaming spiral.

Aggron stepped aside, but was caught in the shoulder by the fire-type move. It shrugged its pain off.

"Again."

Another Heat Wave attack fired as Houndoom closed in with a bound.

"Protect!"

Aggron protected itself, dispersing the incoming attack with its defensive sphere.

"Again!"

Another controlled inferno fired, this time catching Aggron off-guard as its shield disappeared, hitting it square in the torso.

"Again!"

Karen would not let up – a fourth consecutive attack hit and damaged Aggron, who staggered back from the sweltering heat.

Paul snarled. He had enough of this.

"Shock Wave!"

Aggron crossed its arms, charged electricity and went to spread them to release its attack, which would not fail to hit. Houndoom prepared itself.

In a flash, a huge wave of blue electricity rushed from the steely body of Aggron, engulfing a large portion of the field it had concentrated on. Houndoom stood its ground until the attack was over to minimize its effectiveness. The blue sparks on its black body soon disappeared, leaving Houndoom growling and still ready for more.

Bang!

Aggron's chest suddenly ignited for a split second. It cried out before ultimately collapsing.

Paul's pent-up rage finally subsided at the sight of his pokémon's fall. Houndoom shook itself and took its original position. Karen crossed her arms and smiled in triumph. The crowd cheered for Houndoom's victory.

"Well done, Aggron." A well-deserved rest was all Paul could give his hurt pokémon at the moment. The burn would be treated as soon as he gets the chance. With such a fast and powerful pokémon to deal with, he was in a bind on what to do next.

* * *

**Paul is a very good character to write with. He is practical, real and built like an anti-hero.**

**Karen is a stretch, but for the 'dark witch' stuff I've seen of her (like, one or two other stories), her official personality is only described as outgoing, cheerful and that she likes the bad-boy image. I've tried to give her a bit of depth.**

**Hope you liked part one!**

**It's the best you've seen. Admit it.**


	2. Part Two

"Well? Shall we see the last pokémon in your arsenal?" Karen called out in confidence. Not one to be inattentive, she had kept track of their respective teams.

While she had Houndoom and one more pokémon left, Paul had a known scizor and a lucario to go with. Those two options were weak to fire attacks. Her grin was befitting.

The challenger twitched a lip.

"Nope. Scizor! Standby for battle!"

Scizor, the first of Paul's team to be revealed, returned to the field. It stretched out and showed no signs of fatigue.

Karen hardened a wary glare. To bring forth a pokémon with a _double_ weakness to fire? 'Ludicrous' would have crossed her mind, but this trainer did not make it to her level without proving himself. She would be well on-guard.

"Heat Wave."

Houndoom fired another focused, flaming torrent.

"Double Team."

Scizor divided into several images of itself lined up in a row. It stopped far to the left, letting the Heat Wave sail past and dissipate in a miss. Why Scizor halted its move, Karen did not know, but she pressed on.

"Fire Spin!"

This time, Houndoom fired a twirling stream of flames.

"Double Team."

Once again, Scizor was successful in dodging the dangerous attack by its evasion-heightening technique, ending by positioning itself toward its left again.

Karen suddenly became much more cautious.

"Close in with Flame Charge!"

Switching to a direct approach, the Dark pokémon's body was consumed in flames as it started to charge for its opponent. If it were to hit, along with the super-effective damage, Houndoom's speed would increase.

"Double Team into the air."

For the third time, Paul ordered the same move. Scizor leapt back, went airborne and created copies of itself yet again. Houndoom trained its sharp eyes on the figure which had more substance than the others. Jumping up, Houndoom made contact with one of the images, but phased right through. Scizor had yet again avoided a dangerous hit.

Karen scoffed loudly. It was time to get back her own pace.

"Odor Sleuth."

Houndoom put distance between the flying scizor and itself, before calming down and focusing.

"Giga Impact! Now!" Paul ordered loudly.

Interrupting Houndoom's move, Karen quickly called out another attack.

"Stop! Use Inferno!"

"Rush it!"

Giving its wings everything it had, Scizor raced in, covered in a purple and orange sphere. Houndoom heaved a great breath, gathering blue fire in its mouth.

"Send in a Vacuum Wave!"

With a quick circular spin, Scizor thrust a claw out, sending a drilling current of air straight for Houndoom's head. With a few feet left, Houndoom was struck by the Vacuum Wave, and released its Inferno which collided with the Giga Impact.

The explosion let no one see the clash. Both Karen and Paul kept critical eyes, but neither could fully grasp what had transpired. They would have to wait until the dark cloud settled to see the result, just like everyone else.

* * *

"I'm not gonna make it easy for you."

The voice echoed in the empty arena.

"I wouldn't expect you to."

Another voice followed – both originating from a spot in the stands.

After a moment, the young woman went on.

"I've been watching your battles with Will, Koga and Bruno." She leant back in her seat and stared up at the stars. "You've been doing pretty well. None of your pokémon have been injured, so I can't take any chances with what your team will be like, can I?"

"No, you can't."

The young man stood before the railing, absorbing the vacant stadium's atmosphere. It was times like these when he would reflect on his future goals in solitude. What he didn't expect was finding his opponent, the dark-type master Karen, already here with the same intention.

"I hope you're not gonna take any chances with me either," Karen continued in a feigned up-beat tone.

Paul shook his head.

"Don't worry about that," he said in his usual solemn, unwavering voice.

Another prolonged pause.

Karen continued stimulating her mind. She was holding herself back, not letting her true thoughts reach her words. She struggled with her expressions.

Paul was not empathetic enough to detect this. He saw her as respectable, well-earned and, currently, superior. But she wouldn't last in his life. Depending on their battle's result, she would either be a wall or another stepping stone. And that perception would not change easily.

Karen knew this very perception of his was the invisible barricade keeping her from speaking her mind. She was shamed by her own hesitancy. Their worlds may have clashed, but he wouldn't last in her life. Their time was running out, and she did not want someone she had thought of as so ideal to slip through her hands.

"Have you..."

She stopped herself. Those short words didn't even get a reaction.

Her aim was to guide their conversation away from their confrontation tomorrow, to something a bit more... _personal_. And as far as _that_ topic goes, she knew Paul wouldn't be too open to talk about it, and he probably wouldn't want to either.

But with a new-found resolve, she decided she would at least try.

"Have you ever found yourself... hesitating to do something for a long time?"

She finally got something across.

"...Yeah."

Her body tensed as she sat up straight.

"It was a while ago. I wasn't in too good of a moment in terms of my battling. Let's just say I was out of place with myself." He turned around and hung his head, not meeting her eyes. "Anyway, one day in that time, I met up with someone I knew. They hadn't changed and I didn't really wanna deal with 'em. Somehow, he knew I was in a crappy mood, and he offered to help me out."

He trailed his eyes up to the night sky.

"Thing is, I knew he could help me, probably more than anyone else could, but I was too stubborn to give him an answer. We were actually spending the same amount of time in the same city somehow, so whenever I saw him, he'd ask me if I was up for it. The only thing that kept me from answering was the fact that we were nothing alike." Karen started to relax as she listened. "Our backgrounds were as different as any others', but how we did things just didn't click. We were strong. I couldn't tell which of us was stronger. But the way he kept building his strength, the way he kept up with me, I couldn't understand how he did it. It was nothing like how I did it. And yet, no matter how much time passed, he was always right next to me, always at the same level."

He sighed.

"Then it finally dawned on me." For the first time, Paul looked at Karen with actual emotion. "There wasn't that much difference between us from the beginning. We may've done similar things with completely different methods, but where we wanted to end up was the exact same place."

His stopping didn't keep her from figuring out what he meant.

"Sorry to vent." She looked back up at him. "You asked a question and that-"

"Forget about it," she cut him off. "That's actually the first time you've talked to me for so long."

Paul looked away.

"I'm not blind." He cleared his throat. "I could tell your visits weren't all for... professional reasons," he ended in an uneasy voice.

Karen furrowed her eyebrows.

"I do like you."

"Mm."

"So, then..."

"I don't know you, and as far as I know, you're tied down. I plan on winning tomorrow and going on to face Lance." He turned around and leant on the rail, breathing in the cool night air. "I don't know what I'll do if I lose. Probably start all over."

Paul was half a mind of everything right now. He was aiming to defeat Karen, defeat Lance and go on to prove himself to the rest of the world. If he would happen to lose against Karen, then he would hit a barrier that would ultimately set him back months, years of work with his pokémon. He had to win, otherwise he'd be lost.

Karen on the other hand had her priorities straight, just like every other league member. She would play her part, do her best and determine worthiness, just like always. A win – great. A loss – good for the challenger. But this attachment she had made wasn't going to let up. Either way, she'd end up losing him.

Unless...

The guardrail shook, making Paul turn to his side to the smiling face of his soon-to-be opponent.

"How about a deal?"

* * *

Houndoom stood panting. Scizor lay on the ground, exhausted of strength.

The crowd sounded off. This fight was over.

Returning his pokémon with a word of thanks, Paul gave in to the fact that he was in a dilemma. Knowing there was no sense in stalling, he sent out his pokémon, hoping against fate that it could go all the way.

"Lucario... Standby for battle!"

Standing tall, the Aura pokémon stared down its opponent, emanating fighting spirit.

"Flamethrower."

Not wasting time, Karen ordered Houndoom to send a stream of flames at its enemy.

"Dodge, into the air!"

With a great leap, Lucario dodged the Flamethrower with ease. It steadied itself in the air, ready to receive further orders.

"Wait for it and then hit a Flame Charge."

Houndoom positioned itself in a pouncing pose, ready to ignite and tackle. Lucario tensed its body as it continued falling, but it heard no orders from its trainer.

With several feet left before Lucario's contact with the ground, Houndoom ignited and took off like a rocket. The dark/fire-type's amazing agility was on full display as it raced in low and straight, ready to end its opponent.

"Dodge with Magnet Rise and use Aura Sphere!"

A metre above the ground, Lucario's feet sparked electricity and it shifted sidewards in mid-air. Houndoom ran past without a hit. Just as it turned to stop, it was met with a charged sphere of powerful energy. It hit, sending Houndoom rolling and dragging through the dirt. Lucario landed with a grunt, Karen gritted her teeth and Paul watched attentively.

No one expected Houndoom to actually get back up, but it did. Albeit struggling and tired, Houndoom got to its feet, growling in battle-readiness.

Even Paul's usually stoic expression changed at seeing this. He growled curtly.

"Aura Sphere!"

Lucario instantly shot another orb from its paw. It made contact, but Houndoom held its ground.

Paul couldn't believe what he was seeing. The integrity of Karen's pokémon would not falter. It was truly at champion level.

"Flame Charge!"

With an incredibly long and spirited howl, Houndoom's body was engulfed in hot flames. The crowd roared with excitement at the valour shown by one of Karen's oldest owned pokémon. The Dark pokémon abruptly stopped howling and quietly growled, digging at the ground. Its eyes sharpened as it held Lucario's shaken figure in its sights.

"Charge an Aura Sphere. Make it a good one." Paul's voice was calm, masking his stress.

Lucario followed his trainer's lead. Keeping calm, it put its paws together and started charging its attack.

As time went on, neither pokémon budged. Houndoom continued building its flames and Lucario kept focusing its aura. Both Karen and Paul shifted their eyes from one pokémon to the other, while keeping their hearing sharp for any attack called.

Houndoom's head lowered.

"Double Team counter!"

Houndoom's running couldn't even be seen. One second it was finished charging, the next it was already in front of the unmoving Lucario. Its blinding speed would have ended any other pokémon... but Lucario wasn't any other pokémon.

Just as Houndoom was an inch away, Lucario split into two copies, reappeared beside its attacker and delivered a swift, glowing palm strike that blasted some aura on impact.

The entire stadium couldn't even hope to keep up, but results were results.

Houndoom was floored. Lucario stood victorious.

They couldn't tell, but Karen and Paul both let their breaths go at the same time. Their hitched exhales came much too late for their own comfort. Any longer and they would've fainted.

"Thank you, Houndoom. You're always amazing," Karen said softly, recalling her pokémon. She brought her hand over her eyes, taking on a pensive stance.

Lucario walked to its trainer's half of the field. Unscathed and unburnt, Paul's pokémon was all-but fresh. Its only hit thus far had been from the long-defeated Drapion. The Aura pokémon was all set for its next opponent and willing to prove its strength.

But Lucario wasn't the only one with that ambition. Its trainer was just as determined to prove his strength. Not only to his opponents, to his supporters, friends and family, but to himself. He's been on this path for a long time. Some have questioned his principles and some have made him question them himself. But in the end, he believes what he believes and no one has the right to change that. He's gotten to this point on his own accord.

One more step left to take to reach champion contendership – defeat the next pokémon.

Karen wore an unreadable smile. With a swift toss, her pokéball flew up. To Paul, it hovered in the air as he stared. No matter what came out, he would lead his pokémon to victory.

With a screeching roar and a flap of six wings, Paul and Lucario were met with a menacing echo and a rush of wind. He was strategically prepared for any pokémon classified as a dark-type. Offensively, defensively – he had studied everything dark-types could be capable of and what they could do paired with other types. But _this_ pokémon... he did not expect.

Karen knew her pokémon well, and she could tell that it appreciated being out for battle more than anything. What she didn't count on was the reaction she would get. It _was_ its debut battle, but camera flashes, gasps and cheers were being thrown around the arena like crazy.

All the while, Paul stood motionless and conflicted.

"Fire your Aura Spheres! Don't let up!"

Lucario took an evened stance, curled its paws and shot them forward one after the other. With each thrust, an Aura Sphere flew through the air. They may have been small, but Paul thought their precision, speed and amount made up for the miniscule power. This went on for much longer than anyone thought, but Lucario was smart enough to stop when it had deemed the energy lost was enough. It drew back into its stance and waited for the smoke to settle.

The crowd's excitement during the onslaught died down as they awaited Karen's pokémon's fate. Paul grimaced at his blindness, but kept patient.

"Hmph... Hyper Beam," Karen said, smirking.

Clearing the dust instantly, an orange beam burst out from the pokémon's main mouth.

"Protect!"

Crossing its arms, Lucario put a force-field between it and the oncoming attack. The blast was so powerful, Lucario, within its shield, was being pushed back. The beams split after impact, which missed Paul by only several feet. The attack finally died down, but Paul was surprised at what he saw across the battlefield.

Karen. Grinning. Rather wickedly at that. It was not unlike the grin Hydreigon had on either.

"No holding back, huh? Use Focus Punch!"

With the opponent spent on energy and resting, Lucario had enough time to focus a great deal of power into its fist. When it was ready, it ran forward, leapt up and swung its glowing fist with all its might. The blow shook the hydreigon's body and forced it back, but it kept airborne.

"Dragon Pulse," Paul and Karen called out in unison, as evenly as each other.

Two blue-green blasts from Lucario's paws and Hydreigon's mouth collided, sending smoke and a gust through the air.

"Withdraw and shoot some Aura Spheres!"

"Flamethrower!"

The blue and black pokémon leapt backward and pitched another duo of spheres. The attacks landed, but Hydreigon fought back by, shockingly, blasting a Flamethrower from one of its hands' 'mouths'. The super-effective move hit and Lucario fell to the ground for what seemed to be the first time in all its battling. Lucario stood up, shaking lingering flames from its body.

"Now Tri Attack."

Hydreigon's mouth and two hands opened up – one charging a frosted sphere, another an electric orb and the last a flaming ball. The linked trio of elements blasted toward its mark.

"Dodge and Aura Sphere!"

Lucario dove and rolled. The Tri Attack's spheres burst on the ground and dispersed. Coming out of its roll, Lucario threw another Aura Sphere. It hit, but something was becoming very clear. Despite the precision, speed and super-effectiveness, the Aura Spheres weren't doing enough visible damage. And if the battle kept on, Hydreigon may deal a lethal hit.

"Sense when you've got enough time and use Calm Mind."

Lucario's aura sensors rose, and its eyes and hearing sharpened as it kept its enemy in its sights. Set and ready, Lucario's body began gathering rings of pink energy.

"Earth Power."

After Hydreigon landed while glowing yellow, a split appeared in the ground, trailing from the dark/dragon-type to Lucario. Before the attack could hit, the Aura pokémon stopped its concentration and jumped away. The ground exploded with yellow energy where Lucario once stood. Putting enough distance between itself and its attacker, the fighter stopped and began focusing its energy again.

"Flamethrower."

A jet of fire shot forth, but Lucario was still fast enough to dodge and continue its attempt at Calm Mind, despite its distractions.

Karen began getting annoyed.

"Close in with Thunder Fang!"

Hydreigon showed off its surprising speed as it flew towards the fighting/steel-type with electrically charged jaws. Lucario broke its focus once more and fled with its acrobatic leaps and side-steps.

"Let's show them something special. Chase it with Thunder Fang, Fire Fang _and_ Ice Fang!"

As predictable as the image could've been, it still dropped jaws and lit up audience members. Adding to the electric jaws of Hydreigon's main head, its left 'head' lit up with fire and its right 'head' glowed light blue and let off a chilling haze.

The Brutal pokémon gave chase once more, this time swinging and 'chomping' with all three appendages. Lucario continued to keep its distance, but was clearly having more trouble than before. No matter how agile it was, its chaser's speed and reach was clearly catching up.

"Enough of this," Paul snarled, accentuating with his hands. "Hidden Power burst!"

At the call of its trainer, Lucario switched movements. Instead of evading, it jumped toward the attacker, curled its body in and, with a roar, stretched out and released hundreds of small grey orbs. The stunning attack scattered in every direction. While they didn't travel too far, Hydreigon was close enough to feel nearly half of the entire attack's power. It faltered backwards in the air.

The tide had been turned, and Paul was not about to lose it.

"Metal Sound!"

Lucario put the spikes on its wrists together and swiftly scraped them apart. An intensely shrill sound pierced Hydreigon's senses, lowering its special defense.

But Karen would not give in. The time was right. Her opponent was struck with confidence, which she would crumble within an instant.

"Charge Beam!"

With a thrust of its left hand, Hydreigon let loose a solid beam of electrified gold. The attack was successful, despite Lucario's attempt at blocking. Hydreigon's body electrified and lit up for a moment, which Karen smiled at. The dragon's special attacks' power had increased. It had now become even stronger.

Just like that, he had lost his surge. Paul's expression, for the first time, broke into shock and panic.

Karen pointed a finger skyward before thrusting it forward with victory clear in mind.

"Triple Fire Blast!"

Paul stifled a gasp. Lucario's hunched body shook and its eyes dilated.

With more speed, power and accuracy than before, three jets of fire in the linked form of the famous Fire Blast symbol shot right for Lucario, each from one of the hydra's heads.

With the net of flames closing in, Paul could only count the milliseconds.

* * *

"Well, it put up a heck of a fight," the purple-haired man said, hunched forward on his sofa.

The Charge Beam had sealed Lucario's fate in the eyes of its trainer's brother.

He looked to his left, checking on the pink-haired girl's reaction in the corner of his eye.

Said girl sat cross-legged next to her friend, tensed up more than any other time during her viewing of the battle. She had a very good reason to be so attuned to the television.

That lucario was shared as hers.

During the Aura pokémon's match-ups, she willed her faithful partner on with as much spirit as she could muster. Of course, reality had other plans. While it did well earlier, this looked like it would be the end of the line.

The gym leader couldn't have been more proud of its pokémon's Elite Four battle debut. And she couldn't have been more thankful to the person who granted its wish. It was a group effort on Lucario, Paul and her part.

"Maylene, you've- Whoa!"

Reggie couldn't finish his sentence. The screen lit up with red.

* * *

Inside a pokémon center, dozens of people sat, stood and watched as a once in a lifetime battle took place on the wide-screen. While it wasn't even in the same region, pokémon trainers and coordinators alike all held this occasion in high regard. To top it off, the challenger was a Sinnoh-native.

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon..."

Impatient as he always was, a young man tapped the table with his fingers as he sat and watched his 'rival', as proclaimed by himself, take the lead in the high-stakes battle.

But his friend's advantage didn't last too long. A Charge Beam delivered that decision. Barry moaned sadly, while the rest of the crowd all sighed.

"Well, he didn't do half-bad, huh Dawn?" A short-haired red-head said, sitting in a booth next to her friend.

The other girl couldn't help but stare at the screen with the same thought, fiddling with a ribboned bell in her hand.

"Yeah. 'Guess he learned a lot, but not enough."

The blue-haired coordinator reclined in her seat, exhaling.

As the crowd around her gasped at the fire on the TV, Dawn only furrowed her expression.

* * *

Within his room, before his captain's wheel, a man of great influential stature stood, steering his pyramid airship as it sailed through the sky.

Above his windows, one of his screens showed an international program – one that held importance to him in that the challenger of the program's feature was someone he had an important interaction with. Their meetings, he would not forget.

And for this, the Pyramid King gave much of his moral support for the young competitor.

"_Sir_," a voice called from a PA system. "_We will be arriving near Nimbasa City in ten minutes_."

The man stretched a hand and held a button in.

"Very good. Prepare landing measures and contact the city's gym leader."

"_Sir_."

With that, his focus went back to the on-screen battle.

"Come on, boy. Where is your true inner strength?"

He couldn't help but narrow his eyes at the sight of the flaming torrents flying right at the lucario.

* * *

The flames struck.

The fires trailed out past Paul's unmoving body, scorching the ground in tendrils. His head hung low, shadowing his eyes.

Karen kept her triumphant pose a little bit longer, until the attack died down.

The smoking inferno had lit up the arena, but soon dimmed.

Hydreigon hovered and stared at its opponent's figure with aggressive purple eyes.

The pokémon the entire world had their eyes on stood. Burnt. Motionless. Its head down and its arms uselessly by its sides. Its legs weren't even shaking – but one move would easily send it falling to the ground.

And then, it gave in.

Falling backward, as if made of stone, the body of Lucario collapsed to the ground. And just as it hit the battlefield's surface...

Its body shattered into thousands of white fragments.

Karen, Hydreigon, the referee, the crowd – the entire world was shocked.

A mighty roar flew through the arena.

All heads lifted and all eyes widened.

Holding the biggest sphere of energy it could charge, as big as its own body, the Aura pokémon was quickly falling through the air. Its roar continued as it fell, ready to slam every last bit of power it had left right onto its opponent.

Hydreigon's mouth lit up in fire.

Paul finally raised his head, but kept a solemn face on as his pokémon came within several feet of impact.

From across their battlefield, Karen could see Paul's mouth open to say something.

The collision brought the entire world to a stand-still. Smoke covered the area once again, this time concealing the possible finality of the battle.

After the excruciatingly slow stretch of silence had ended, the result was clear for the world to see.

* * *

Crossing a leg over while sitting in her league's luxurious lounge room, the champion of the Sinnoh region couldn't help but feel admiration for what she saw.

"Well, well..." A man with a red afro crossed his arms in his separate seat. "You weren't kidding, Cynth'. He could go all the way."

"I can see why this boy would catch your attention," an aged woman agreed. The ground-type master stood up and walked herself out with her cane. "He might even be worthy of taking my place."

Before Cynthia or Flint could look at her, she was already out the door. They both smiled sadly.

Turning back and seeing the trainer on the screen again, Cynthia developed a glowing expression.

The champion leant back and closed her eyes, mulling over the pride she felt.

* * *

An empty bowl was placed on a counter – the customer sighed, satisfied.

Right next to him, a pikachu placed a bottle of ketchup down, sighed and satisfied as well.

On the far wall, a few large gears quietly turned. The only sounds in this small diner were the two other customers eating by themselves and the wide-screen, static-filled TV playing.

But the ebony-haired young man could still make out the images on the program. A grin found its way on his face as he realised what had happened to the trainer and his lucario.

Placing a bit of money on the countertop that was quickly scraped off by the burly vendor, the man signalled for his pokémon to jump onto his shoulder.

After the pikachu scurried up and held onto his partner, he walked out with nothing but the door's bell in their wake.

* * *

The crowd burst into an onslaught of cheers, the speakers blasted a victorious anthem and pyrotechnics blew up all along the stadium's circular top.

Lucario stood, shaking and panting before the fallen Hydreigon. Before it could even think of falling back, it felt a hand on its shoulder.

Turning, Lucario saw its trainer, smiling. The victorious pokémon smiled back. They both turned to the stirring hydreigon and its owner. It was returned to its ball with great words of thanks.

Karen turned to the two. Walking and standing before them, she looked at both of them with an articulate gaze. One was battered, bruised and the strongest pokémon she has yet to battle, and the other was its trainer – the teacher of its skills and knowledge. Without each other, this point in their lives would not have come to fruition.

Karen put her hand forward. Without hesitation, Paul took it, with as much calm poise as he had before the battle.

The crowd once again cheered at the show of sportsmanship.

"'Guess you're free to go," Karen spoke up.

Paul ran a hand through his hair.

"That was the greatest battle I've ever had." She paused. "You were always right. Our worlds are too far apart. I've found my calling and I'll continue to prove myself as the best gateway to greatness. You'll pass on and become one of the greats without me ever having to be involved again."

Her ending sigh was not of relief, but sadness.

"Your perception of strength is far better than anyone else I've met. I'm glad I could have this battle... for you." She turned to walk away. "Go on... the champion is waiti-"

Her wrist was caught.

Hesitantly turning back, she met his dark eyes – no sign of hesitancy or uncertainty in them.

"I've gone too far in the world to not find the things I've been looking for... I _always_ find what I'm looking for, and it's always been with the help of others." He let go. "You're one of the best I've ever had to battle, and... I don't want you to fade out into my history just like this. You've made me realise... I need to share a part of myself. Burdens, strength and all. I need to keep opening my mind." He bowed and held himself low. "I'm not going to be your pupil. But I hope this isn't goodbye."

Her shoes came into view. He rose back up to see that she stood nearly nose to nose with him.

The great brightness in her heart was held in her silver-blue eyes.

"Would you like to consummate all that?"

"Don't."

His refusal couldn't hold back her feelings. Or her lips.

* * *

**And close. Thanks for reading.**


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